Be Visionary. Think Big.

What’s your vision for your company? In an ideal world, what does your company want to do and how it is perceived by others? What’s the best you can be?

Answering these questions can help you craft a vision statement, which is the heart of your organization.

Vision statements encompass the essence of a company. It explains what your company wants to be. Take Amazon and Apple, for example. Here are their vision statements:

Amazon: “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

Apple (from an interview with CEO Tim Cook): “We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing. We are constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change. And I think regardless of who is in what job those values are so embedded in this company that Applewill do extremely well.”

Each statement is unique and reflects its company’s culture. Amazon is simple, short, and direct. The vision tells you exactly what the company wants to create. Apple’s vision statement is longer and describes the company’s values; it’s Apple’s DNA.

Two different approaches to vision statements, but both achieve the same end. They are big and broad. And they offer insight into each company’s goals.

Both also are broad enough to last for generations because vision statements shouldn’t change. They reflect your company’s purpose and core values. IBM and HP are great examples of why vision statements don’t change, even as business models adapt.

The IBM vision statement and HP vision statement remain constant despite radical changes in their business models over time as the companies moved from hardware to software.

The vision statement should be lived daily by you and you employees. It should be communicated directly and indirectly by how your company acts and talks about itself.

Finally, don’t confuse a vision statement with your mission statement. Mission statements describe how your company will execute its vision. It’s the tactics that make the vision a reality. While vision statements are broad, mission statements should be narrow and specific.

Start with a broad vision and then think about crafting your specific mission.